EMS Checklist

eroreEMS Checklist

Before conducting an environmental management system audit to ISO 14001, I always make a EMS checklist of procedures or records I would expect to see for that particular aspect. These vary depending on the area of the business I am auditing, so a training check-list would be very different to a waste documentation check-list – of course!

Below I have listed some of the items I would review under Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) as part of section 4.4.6 (operational control) in a typical manufacturing facility. PPM is therefore one of the most important parts of an environmental management system when related to manufacturing due to the mechanical controls in place which can stop, reduce or minimise emissions to atmosphere. You may have others, however but these are recurring items of equipment that seem to crop up time and again in the factories I audit. I have listed the equipment and records I would expect to see and the environmental aspect controlled as part of my EMS checklist.

Elements to check

• Air compressors – service schedule and engineer service reports – energy efficiency and oil losses
• Compressed air lines – air leaks – energy loss
• Boilers – service schedules and service reports – air emissions & fuel
• Air conditioning units and splits – service schedule and service reports, F-gas competency – F-Gas losses
• All monitoring equipment service and calibration records (final effluent) for DAF tanks and effluent treatment plants – COD, pH probes, pH buffers, flow meters, high level alarms, penstocks, isolation valves, balances & ovens (for suspended solids), test kits.
• Oil interceptors on surface water systems – gulping and inspection (waste transfer notes) – surface water discharge.
• Surface and foul water drains – CCTV records – often in permit for factories/manufacturing
• Hydraulic plant service records – split hoses, flanges, valves – hydraulic oil leaks
• Transformers – PCB checks – registered with Local Authority/EA – if not utilities
• Ammonia plant – compressors and alarms checks – Oil leaks, ammonia detection
• Bunds and liquid storage – test and inspection records
• Pumps and sumps – maintenance records – losses
• Borehole flow meters – service records – abstraction
• Envirovalves, penstocks or isolation valves – service records – surface water protection
• Fleet vehicle checks – air emissions, fuel use figures
• Calibration records for all monitoring equipment – flow meters, weighbridges, scales – EUETS, waste, effluent
• Submetering maintenance or service records – energy monitoring

Of course there are many more depending on the type of facility you find yourself in and most PPM software management systems such as SAP, Maximo, EAM will identify all equipment covered by PPM therefore. If the environmental manager is enlightened the company will have an environmentally critical equipment list. Otherwise you will need to filter through to find the particular environmental control you are looking for.

For more information on practical environmental management systems implementation and how it can help you reduce losses and costs, please do not hesitate to contact us direct.

Paul Downing